A project of LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute

Washington at a glance

Population by race and Hispanic origin

Cities in this database with the most similarly-sized populations

Full-time law enforcement staff, Metropolitan Police Department

  • 3,575 Officers
  • 604 Civilian staff

Full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents

  • 5.34 Washington
  • 2.4 National average, cities with 250,000+ population
  • 2.2 National average

These figures reflect the Metropolitan Police Department only, and do not include state or other police agencies that may be present in this location.

Federal grant funding for Washington

Data was last updated October 15, 2023

We identified over $613.7M in federal grant funding, FY 2014-2024

This city uses an expanded search query and may return additional results compared to other locations. Learn more

Grant funding over time

Grant funding by federal department

Recent grants

USA spending grants for: Washington
Amount Start and end dates Recipient and description Awarding agency CFDA program Type
$3,125,000.00 10/1/2022
9/30/2027		 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THE PURPOSE OF THE COPS HIRING PROGRAM (CHP) PROGRAM IS TO ADVANCE THE PRACTICE OF COMMUNITY POLICING THROUGH THE HIRE OR REHIRE OF ADDITIONAL CAREER LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. FUNDING UNDER THIS AWARD PROGRAM WILL BE UTILIZED BY LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES TO HIRE AND REHIRE CAREER LAW ENFORCEM… Department of Justice Offices, Boards and Divisions 16.710 Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants Prime
$174,200.00 9/1/2022
8/31/2024		 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THE METROPOLITAN (DC) POLICE DEPARTMENT LEMHWA IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT WILL SUPPORT MPD'S MENTORING AND TRANSITIONING TO RETIREMENT PROGRAMMING EFFORTS. MENTORING PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN REQUESTED FOR SUPPORT EMOTIONALLY AND PROFESSIONALLY. THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT SOURCES OF STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH JOINING … Department of Justice Offices, Boards and Divisions 16.710 Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants Prime
$3,125,000.00 10/1/2021
9/30/2026		 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FY21 COPS HIRING PROGRAM (CHP) Department of Justice Offices, Boards and Divisions 16.710 Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Grants Prime
$57,030,222.00 9/1/2021
8/31/2024		 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA GOVERNMENT HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency 97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program Prime

View all grants

Military equipment transfers

We were unable to locate any military equipment transfers for this location using the LESO Property Transferred to Participating Agencies database published by the Defense Logistics Agency. It is possible that this location has acquired military equipment for policing via other sources or programs.

Local police misconduct data, consent decrees, and settlements

Data last updated July 17, 2023

Settlements

We identified 3 publicly reported settlements that resulted in policy changes and $32,100,000.00 in monetary compensation to victims.

Settlements
Year Description Outcome
2022

In response to four different lawsuits related to public demonstrations in June 2020, the Biden Administration has settled some legal claims and agreed to implement changes to the U.S. Park Police and Secret Service policies related to public demonstrations.

The lawsuits resulted from incidents where the U.S. Park Police and other federal and local law enforcement violently forced hundreds of protestors to disperse using chemical irritants, rubber bullets, smoke bombs, and batons, during a Black Lives Matter and racial justice demonstration. The Biden Administration has agreed to implement several new policies, including a policy that states that demonstration permits cannot be revoked by the Park Police unless the protestors are presenting a danger to public safety.

Source

Gregg Kelley, "In Partial Settlement of Civil Rights Suits on Behalf of Demonstrators Attacked at Lafayette Square by Trump Administration, Federal Government Agrees to Change Demonstration Policing Policies", For Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, April 13, 2022

Policy changes
2021

D.C. will pay $1.6 million to settle two lawsuits that alleged the D.C. police department engaged in false arrests, excessive force, and unlawful conditions of confinement for those arrested during demonstrations on Inauguration Day in 2017.

More than 100 protestors alleged that police officers used excessive force such as chemical irritants, batons, and grenades when handling demonstrators.

Source

Colleen Grablick, "D.C. To Pay $1.6M in Police Misconduct Lawsuit Filed After 2017 Inauguration Protests", NPR, April 26, 2021

Compensation
$1,600,000.00
2010 - 2014

Between 2010 and 2014, the District of Columbia spent $30.5 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the District of Columbia spent $30.5 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis conducted by The Washington Post determined that the city spent $31.6 million between 2005 and 2016 on court judgments or settlements in 173 cases alleging police misconduct.

Sources

Zusha Elinson and Dan Frosch, "Cost of Police-Misconduct Cases Soars in Big U.S. Cities", Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2015

Theresa Vargas and Kimbriell Kelly, "‘It made me hate the police’: Ugly encounters with officers fuel loss of trust, costly payouts,", Washington Post, January 07, 2017

Compensation
$30,500,000.00